Anemone plant named ‘IFANFA’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Anemone plant named ‘IFANFA’, characterized by its upright and uniform plant habit; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit; early and freely flowering habit; long flowering period; large single flowers that are reddish purple in color; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Anemone hupehensis.

Cultivar denomination: ‘IFANFA’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY APPLICANT

An European Plant Breeder's Rights application for the instant plant wasfiled by the Applicant on Nov. 26, 2021, application number 2021/3056.Foreign priority is not claimed to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anemone,botanically known as Anemone hupehensis and hereinafter referred to bythe name ‘IFANFA’.

The new Anemone plant is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new vigorous andfast-growing Anemone plants with numerous attractive flowers.

The new Anemone plant originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventor in July, 2017 in a controlled greenhouse environment inHeerhugowaard, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Anemonehupehensis identified as code number 148-14-k020-11, not patented, asthe female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Anemonehupehensis identified as code number 148-12-k002-01, not patented, asthe male, or pollen, parent. The new Anemone plant was discovered andselected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progenyof the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environmentin Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands in August, 2018.

Asexual reproduction of the new Anemone by in vitro meristem culture ina controlled environment in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands since August,2018 has shown that the unique features of this new Anemone plant arestable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Anemone have not been observed under all possiblecombinations of environmental conditions and various cultural practices.The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmentalconditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, anyvariance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘IFANFA’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘IFANFA’ as a new and distinct Anemone plant:

-   -   1. Upright and uniform plant habit.    -   2. Moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit.    -   3. Early and freely flowering habit.    -   4. Long flowering period.    -   5. Large single flowers that are reddish purple in color.    -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Anemone can be compared to plants of the female parentselection. Plants of the new Anemone differ primarily from plants of thefemale parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Anemone have single-type flowers whereas        plants of the female parent selection have double-type flowers.    -   2. Flowers of plants of the new Anemone have reddish        purple-colored sepals whereas flowers of plants of the female        parent selection have pink-colored sepals.

Plants of the new Anemone can be compared to plants of the male parentselection. Plants of the new Anemone differ primarily from plants of themale parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Anemone have single-type flowers whereas        plants of the male parent selection have double-type flowers.    -   2. Flowers of plants of the new Anemone have reddish        purple-colored sepals whereas flowers of plants of the male        parent selection have pink-colored sepals.

Plants of the new Anemone can also be compared to plants of Anemonehupehensis ‘Praecox’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons, plantsof the new Anemone and ‘Praecox’ differ primarily in plant habit asplants of the new Anemone are shorter and more compact than plants of‘Praecox’.

Plants of the new Anemone can also be compared to plants of Anemone xhybrida ‘Red Riding Hood’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons,plants of the new Anemone and ‘Red Riding Hood’ differ primarily ingrowth habit as plants of the new Anemone are vigorous than plants of‘Red Riding Hood’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Anemone plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Anemone plant.

The photograph on the first sheet (FIG. 1 ) is a side perspective viewof a typical plant of ‘IFANFA’ in a container.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet (FIG. 2 ) is a close-upview of typical flowers and flower buds of ‘IFANFA’.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet (FIG. 3 ) is a close-upview of typical leaves of ‘IFANFA’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurementsand values describe plants grown during the late summer in 19-cmcontainers in an outdoor nursery in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands andunder cultural practices typical of commercial Anemone production.During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 16° C.to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 18° C. Plants were15 weeks old when the photographs and description were taken. In thefollowing description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Anemone hupehensis ‘IFANFA’.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Anemone            hupehensis identified as code number 148-14-k020-11, not            patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Anemone            hupehensis identified as code number 148-12-k002-01, not            patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—In vitro meristem culture.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at            temperatures about 22° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 15 days at            temperatures about 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 42 days            at temperatures about 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 50 days            at temperatures about 20° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, moderately fibrous; typically light            brown in color, actual color of the roots is dependent on            substrate composition, water quality, fertilizer type and            formulation, substrate temperature and physiological age of            roots.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright and            uniform plant habit with basal stems and leaves developing            in basal rosettes; numerous basal rosettes developing per            plant; ovate in overall plant shape; moderately vigorous to            vigorous growth habit; moderate growth rate.        -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 45.8            cm.        -   Plant height, soil level to top of floral plane.—About 53.3            cm.        -   Plant diameter.—About 39 cm.-   Branch description:    -   -   Quantity per plant.—About 26.        -   Length.—About 26.8 cm.        -   Diameter.—About 3 mm.        -   Internode length.—About 13.5 cm.        -   Strength.—Moderately strong.        -   Aspect.—Upright to about 5° from vertical.        -   Texture and luster.—Sparsely to moderately pubescent;            moderately glossy.        -   Color, developing.—Close to 144B; surfaces exposed to full            sun, close to 144A and slightly tinged with close to N186C.        -   Color, developed.—Close to 144A; surfaces exposed to full            sun, slightly tinged with close to N186C.-   Leaf description:    -   -   Arrangement, basal leaves.—Alternate; compound.        -   Arrangement, cauline leaves.—Opposite; simple.        -   Length, basal leaves.—About 13 cm.        -   Width, basal leaves.—About 11.5 cm.        -   Length, cauline leaves.—About 5.7 cm.        -   Width, cauline leaves.—About 4.3 cm.        -   Length, basal leaflets.—Terminal leaflets, about 9.3 cm and            lateral leaflets, about 6.2 cm.        -   Width, basal leaflets.—Terminal leaflets, about 4.4 cm and            lateral leaflets, about 4.1 cm.        -   Length, cauline leaflets.—Terminal leaflets, about 6 cm and            lateral leaflets, about 3.7 cm.        -   Width, cauline leaflets.—Terminal leaflets, about 2 cm and            lateral leaflets, about 2.3 cm.        -   Shape, basal and cauline leaves.—Palmately three-lobed to            trifoliate; lobed to cleft, depth of sinuses are deep and            convergent; in overall outline, broadly ovate; moderately            carinate and slightly reflexed.        -   Shape, basal leaflets.—Ovate to elliptic.        -   Shape, cauline leaflets.—Narrowly ovate to narrowly            elliptic.        -   Apex, basal and cauline leaflets.—Acute to narrowly acute.        -   Base, basal and cauline leaflets.—Truncate to hastate or            obtuse.        -   Margin, basal and cauline leaflets.—Biserrate.        -   Texture and luster, basal and cauline leaflets, upper            surface.—Sparsely pubescent; not rugose; slightly glossy.        -   Texture and luster, basal and cauline leaflets, lower            surface.—Sparsely pubescent; not rugose; matte.        -   Venation pattern, basal and cauline leaflets.—Laciniate.        -   Color, basal and cauline leaflets.—Developing leaflets,            upper surface: Close to between 143A and 144A. Developing            leaflets, lower surface: Close to 138B. Fully expanded            leaflets, upper surface: Close to NN137A to NN137B;            venation, close to 144A. Fully expanded leaflets, lower            surface: Close to 148B; venation, close to 146D.        -   Leaf petioles.—Length, basal leaves: About 11.8 cm.            Diameter, basal leaves: About 2 mm. Length, cauline leaves:            About 1.9 cm. Diameter, cauline leaves: About 2 mm.            Strength, basal and cauline leaves: Strong. Texture and            luster, basal and cauline leaves, upper and lower surfaces:            Moderately pubescent; slightly glossy. Color, basal and            cauline leaves, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 144A.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower arrangement and flowering habit.—Single-type rotate            flowers arranged in terminal compound cymes; freely            flowering habit with ten flowers per inflorescence and about            260 flowers developing per plant during the flowering            season; flowers face mostly upright to slightly outwardly.        -   Fragrance.—None detected.        -   Natural flowering season.—Plants of the new Anemone flower            during the summer into the autumn in The Netherlands.        -   Flower longevity.—Individual flowers last about ten days on            the plant; flowers not persistent.        -   Inflorescence height.—About 23.9 cm.        -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 16.7 cm.        -   Flower diameter.—About 5.7 cm.        -   Flower length (depth).—About 2.5 cm.        -   Flower buds.—Length: About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About 1.1 cm.            Shape: Broadly ovate. Texture and luster: Moderately            pubescent; matte. Color: Close to between N186C and 187A;            proximally, tinged with close to 147C.        -   Petals.—Absent.        -   Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: About seven, or            occasionally eight, arranged in two whorls. Length, lower            whorl: About 2.5 cm. Length, upper whorl: About 3.7 cm.            Width, lower whorl: About 1.6 cm. Width, upper whorl: About            2.1 cm. Shape, lower whorl: Ovate. Shape, upper whorl:            Elliptic to obovate; slightly concave. Apex, lower and upper            whorls: Obtuse to bluntly acute. Base, lower and upper            whorls: Cuneate. Margin, lower and upper whorls: Entire; not            undulate to slightly undulate. Texture and luster, upper and            lower whorls, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; not rugose;            matte. Texture and luster, upper and lower whorls, lower            surface: Densely pubescent; not rugose; slightly glossy.            Color: When opening, lower whorl, upper surface: Close to            N79C. When opening, upper whorl, upper surface: Close to 72A            and N79C. When opening, lower whorl, lower surface: Close to            N79C tinged with close to 147C. When opening, upper whorl,            lower surface: Close to 71D, N79B and N79C. Fully opened,            lower whorl, upper surface: Close to between N79C and N186D;            venation, similar to lamina colors; color does not change            with subsequent development. Fully opened, upper whorl,            upper surface: Close to 71B; towards the center and base,            close to N79C; venation, similar to lamina colors; color            does not change with subsequent development. Fully opened,            lower whorl, lower surface: Close to N79B; venation, similar            to lamina color; color does not change with subsequent            development. Fully opened, upper whorl, lower surface: Close            to 70B and N77B; venation, similar to lamina colors; color            does not change with subsequent development.        -   Peduncles.—Length: About 16.8 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.            Aspect: About 20° from lateral branch axis. Strength:            Strong. Texture and luster: Moderately to densely pubescent;            slightly glossy. Color: Close to 146B to 146C; distally,            strongly tinged with close to 200B.        -   Pedicels.—Length: About 8.7 cm. Diameter: About 1.75 mm.            Aspect: Upright to about 25° from the peduncle axis.            Strength: Moderately strong. Texture and luster: Densely            pubescent; slightly glossy. Color: Close to 146B; surfaces            exposed to full sun, strongly tinged with close to 187A.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number per flower:            About 200. Filament length: About 8 mm. Filament color:            Close to 155A. Anther shape: Oblong. Anther size: About 1 mm            by 2 mm. Anther color: Close to 13A. Amount of pollen:            Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 11D. Gynoecium: Pistil            number per flower: About 500. Pistil length: About 0.75 mm.            Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma size: About 0.2 mm by            0.2 mm. Stigma color: Close to N144A. Style length: About            0.55 mm. Style color: Close to N144D. Ovary color: Close to            145D.        -   Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit development have            not been observed on plants of the new Anemone.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Anemone have been observed to    have good garden performance and to tolerate temperatures ranging    from about −30° C. to about 35° C. and to be suitable for USDA    Hardiness Zones 4 through 9.-   Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Anemone have    not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to    Anemone plants.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Anemone plant named ‘IFANFA’ asillustrated and described.